ISTANBUL // Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday that he was unhappy with the decision of powerful intelligence chief Hakan Fidan to resign from his post and stand for parliament in June elections.
“I do not view Hakan Fidan’s candidacy positively,” Mr Erdogan said in televised comments at Istanbul airport before heading on a visit to Latin America.
The president said he had made his opinion on the matter clear to prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu but that Mr Davutoglu had the final say.
“I said this to the respected prime minister. I am saying this openly and clearly. But this is a decision of the respected prime minister and the government,” Mr Erdogan said.
“I cannot interfere.”
Mr Erdogan’s comments stunned Turkish media who had assumed Mr Fidan’s departure was part of a master plan by the Turkish president ahead of legislative elections on June 7.
Widely seen as one of Turkey’s most powerful figures, Mr Fidan had served as head of the National Intelligence Agency (MIT) since 2010 and has always been regarded as one of the president’s closest allies.
The former intelligence chief, who rarely speaks in public, has made no comment on the matter since his resignation was first reported late on Friday.
*Agence France-Presse
